The Shasta Caper, Chapter Sixty-Six

                          Chapter Sixty-Six

The rest of their journey was relatively uneventful. 

Mother Elephant recovered several days later with the tender care of Nanny, who it turned out was a quite capable nurse among her many other talents. She never left the Mother Elephant for a moment, making sure she was warm enough, sometimes even using her own body for extra heat, though the baby elephants usually closed in to add warmth as well.

It was quite a site to Samuel and Jimbo as they watched that last morning. 

Robin and Smarn were off scouting for the best path back to their home, which was also where  they wanted to go.

When Samuel told Robin about Lady Marantha his eyes lit up. "Oh her!" 

Smarn smiled. "Smarn!"

Robin glowered at him. "You lovesick puppy!"

Smarn grinned.

Robin eyed Jimbo, who had this look on his face. "Everyone loves her. They can't help it, she has a charm on her."

"Charm?" Jimbo demanded. "No one is charmed!"

"Little do you know, oh tall one." Robin replied, even though he was as tall as Jimbo.

Jimbo looked flustered a moment. "Tell  me how then!"

"Do you not believe in the goodness of the One Light?"

Jimbo rolled his eyes. "There we go with all the hocus pocus, spiritual mumbo jumbo again."

Robin looked at Samuel. "Is he always like this?"

"Pretty much." Samuel agreed, winking at Jimbo, who gave him a disgusted look, then walked away, pretending to go looking for food.

"He's in love with the Mommy and the daughter, I take it." Robin commented, as he and Samuel watched Nanny hugging the Mother Elephant, who put her trunk around Nanny's neck and hugged her back.

"Aren't you?" Samuel asked, a hint of amusement in his eye.

"I suppose." Robin said, a touch of sadness in his voice and eyes. "There was one like her once I cared for quite deeply. We came here after the War of the Roses saw the defeat of good King Richard."

"I don't remember him thought of as a good king." Samuel remarked.

"You wouldn't. Those times were rife with the hand of the church, which rewrote history to whichever way it served it. Hence, I becoming a legend to your world, when I was quite real."

"You're that...Robin Hood!" Jimbo exclaimed, having come back with a handful of odd fruit.

"Exactly. And the love of my life was none other than..."

"Maid Marion." Jimbo jumped in with, looking excited for the first time in days.

"My heart and soul."

Robin touched his heart, then wiped at his eyes. The memories were burning his heart once more. Though he was not one to look back, but instead forward, these moments of remembrance were bringing up old pains. He would have to speak to Methusaleh about it, to see if there were something he could do to heal that wound, which it obviously still was, in his heart.

He took a deep breath, then looked up. "Ah, your young friend looks ready to take a journey!"

Nanny joined them. She took Robin's hand and squeezed it. "I wanted to thank you again for rescuing  us."

"Oh, it didn't look to me so much like we were rescuing you as assisting you." Robin said with absolute humility. He gave her a half bow and kissed her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. "Though I must admit that I would not find it hard to imagine risking my life to rescue one so fair as...

"

"Look at that!" Jimbo interrupted, pointing to the sky. "A flying whatzit!"

Robin jerked away from Nanny's hand and looked.

Samuel burst into laughter.

Nanny and Robin both looked at him.

"Jimbo, time to leave this place, I think."

So they had packed up what little supplies they had gathered, using giant leaves as backpacks, that they had sewn together with strips of bark from the nearby trees. For canteens they used hollow nut shells the size of footballs that had fallen from some of the trees. 

Jimbo had come up with the idea when Robin had told him they made their canteens from pieces of wood wrapped with cloth. 

Smarn was silent for the rest of the journey, except for the occasional laughter he would give off when the baby elephants ran between  his legs as he walked, playing tag with each other. The Mother Elephant followed Nanny like a pet dog, always close to her, its eyes on her constantly.

Robin noticed. "I think even our elephant friend is in love with...what's her name again?"

"Nanny." Jimbo said.

"Nanette." Samuel answered.

Jimbo gave Samuel a searching look.

"She told me when you weren't listening. Out for one of your nature hikes."

"Oh. Yeah. I think she is too. Who wouldn't be? She's smart, pretty as a rose, sharp as a tack..."

"A tack?" Robin asked.

"It's like a nail, but smaller and used to pin paper to boards."

"Why would people waste paper like that?" Robin asked in confusion.

Jimbo winked. "You'd be surprised at some of the things people do upearth these days."

Robin eyed Nanny fiercely as he made his next remark. "I've been thinking a lot about doing just that lately."

"What?" Jimbo asked. 

"Going upearth."

Jimbo caught where Robin was looking and grew fiercesome looking for a moment. Samuel was about to say something, when Jimbo laughed. "You just go on thinking that, feather boy!"

Robin gave Jimbo a scowl, but said nothing in return.

Jimbo had found something that got to Robin and wasn't letting go it. 

"With that fancy hat and bow you'll be an instant hit upearth. Robin Hood. Your Medieval boyfriend available for romance."

Jimbo barked with laughter at his own mean spirited joke.

Smarn looked back and growled, revealing his teeth.

Jimbo stopped laughing.

Samuel laughed then. "Oh for the peace of my balcony back in Vegas again."

Robin turned to Samuel. "Tell me about this mythical place called...Vegas."

Jimbo responded instead. "You'd love it there. Thieves run the place and all the women in the shows there are half naked or more."

Robin gave Jimbo a horrorfied look. "That is indeed most foul! What maiden of honor would ever reveal herself in such ways?"

Jimbo was suddenly dumbfounded and speechless. He couldn't think of anything to reply that made sense.

Samuel saved him. "Look, I can see the lake again."

They all stopped on the rise they had just reached the top of and looked down at the people working in the fields. The hint of smoke came from the thick forests beyond the waters.

"You'll like it here in Sherwood Forest." Robin pointed out with pride.

"Sherwood Forest?" Nanny asked with surprise.

"Oh yes. When I first arrived here I immediately saw that it was the spitting image of the resplendent forests of Old England we had resided within."

Smarn shook his head, but Robin ignored him. 

"We even have tree houses."

Smarn shook his head.

Robin gave him a scowl. "Well, some of us do."

Smarn didn't move.

Rare rehearsal film of the Beatles performing Hey Jude

The Shasta Caper, Chapter Sixty-Six, Part One

                 Chapter Sixty-Six, Part One

The rest of their journey was relatively uneventful. 

Mother Elephant recovered several days later with the tender care of Nanny, who it turned out was a quite capable nurse among her many other talents. She never left the Mother Elephant for a moment, making sure she was warm enough, sometimes even using her own body for extra heat, though the baby elephants usually closed in to add warmth as well.

It was quite a site to Samuel and Jimbo as they watched that last morning. 

Robin and Smarn were off scouting for the best path back to their home, which was also where  they wanted to go.

When Samuel told Robin about Lady Marantha his eyes lit up. "Oh her!" 

Smarn smiled. "Smarn!"

Robin glowered at him. "You lovesick puppy!"

Smarn grinned.

Robin eyed Jimbo, who had this look on his face. "Everyone loves her. They can't help it, she has a charm on her."

"Charm?" Jimbo demanded. "No one is charmed!"

"Little do you know, oh tall one." Robin replied, even though he was as tall as Jimbo.

Jimbo looked flustered a moment. "Tell  me how then!"

"Do you not believe in the goodness of the One Light?"

Jimbo rolled his eyes. "There we go with all the hocus pocus, spiritual mumbo jumbo again."

Robin looked at Samuel. "Is he always like this?"

"Pretty much." Samuel agreed, winking at Jimbo, who gave him a disgusted look, then walked away, pretending to go looking for food.

"He's in love with the Mommy and the daughter, I take it." Robin commented, as he and Samuel watched Nanny hugging the Mother Elephant, who put her trunk around Nanny's neck and hugged her back.

"Aren't you?" Samuel asked, a hint of amusement in his eye.

"I suppose." Robin said, a touch of sadness in his voice and eyes. "There was one like her once I cared for quite deeply. We came here after the War of the Roses saw the defeat of good King Richard."

"I don't remember him thought of as a good king." Samuel remarked.

"You wouldn't. Those times were rife with the hand of the church, which rewrote history to whichever way it served it. Hence, I becoming a legend to your world, when I was quite real."

"You're that...Robin Hood!" Jimbo exclaimed, having come back with a handful of odd fruit.

"Exactly. And the love of my life was none other than..."

"Maid Marion." Jimbo jumped in with, looking excited for the first time in days.

"My heart and soul."

Robin touched his heart, then wiped at his eyes. The memories were burning his heart once more. Though he was not one to look back, but instead forward, these moments of remembrance were bringing up old pains. He would have to speak to Methusaleh about it, to see if there were something he could do to heal that wound, which it obviously still was, in his heart.

He took a deep breath, then looked up. "Ah, your young friend looks ready to take a journey!"

Nanny joined them. She took Robin's hand and squeezed it. "I wanted to thank you again for rescuing  us."

                      

The Beatles Rooftop Performance --- last performance as a live band together

How I miss them.

The Shasta Caper, Chapter Sixty-Five

                        Chapter Sixty-Five

None of them suspected that the Nazis were able to fly in stealth mode, but they had. When they shivered into visibility they were surrounded by ten Mechas, all standing at least fifteen feet tall with soldiers mounting their sides, all with weapons trained on them.

The closest Mecha stood over thirty feet tall and Saron stood at its peak, a cape flaring behind him. He looked majestic as the air flipped his cape about, but his eyes were like cold ice. His soldiers watched Samuel and his friends nervously. They had seen the death and destruction left behind by these people and were wary of what they might do.

"We meet again."

"Unfortunately." Jimbo muttered, looking for a weapon.

A number of Soldiers raised their weapons when he moved.

"Don't." Samuel warned him.

Jimbo growled angrily, but kept still.

Saron laughed. "Such wisdom in a savage is unparalleled. Maybe it's time we emerged on the upper earth and took back what was rightlfully ours."

"And maybe not." Samuel replied, his eyes steel hard at that moment.

Robin put a hand on his hip, close to his sword. "You are barely suffered here, there you would be annihilated!"

"Perhaps." Saron replied, the hint of a snarl on his lips.

Saron dropped to the ground and stepped several feet in front of his Mecha. "Did you really think you could get away from us so easily?"

"Actually." Robin said with a half bow.

"Shoot him!" Saron ordered.

A dozen soldiers raised their arms to fire.

Samuel shouted. "If you do, then you die along with him!"

The soldiers hesitated.

Saron looked at Samuel. "You hardly look capable of carrying out such a threat."

"Looks can be fooling." 

Saron weighed that a moment, then smiled. "Okay, let's say I do fire, what's the worst you can do?"

Samuel looked at the nearest walker and held a hand up. It glowed a bright red for a moment. 

Samuel's body became lit up like a living flame. 

"Shoot him!" Saron ordered, pointing to Samuel.

"No!" Cried out Jimbo and Nanny at the same time.

The soldiers fired, but instead of their energy beams striking Samuel, they repelled from the energies around Samuel and struck the men who had fired them. The lances of energy struck the weapons that had fired and they exploded, sending all the soldiers flying into the air, their armor and clothing on fire. Their screams filled the air as they collapsed to the ground.

Samuel stood there. Not a word coming from  him.

Saron looked ready to say more, but instead he shook his head. "We'll meet again."

"I doubt it." Samuel replied.

Saron climbed one of the Mechas and they all flew off back into the forest.

Before anyone could stop him Robin  clasped Samuel in his arms and gave him a big hug. "I could kiss you!"

WHAM!

Samuel stood in front of an oddly fashioned mirror made of polished metal, admiring his long brown hair. His blue eyes set off the color of his hair nicely. He took the goose feather comb and began stroking his hair, smoothing out the burrs in it, while his husband watched him with eager eyes from the canopied bed of their bedroom.

"You get more beautiful every year."

Samuel smiled, then turned about, causing his long woolen nightgown to swirl about his hips and legs, accenting them momentarily. "You're just saying that because you want me to kiss you."

He laughed. He was wearing no more than long woolen shorts, his hair chest bristling with gray hairs, reveal a muscled body worthy of a god. "Always the tease."

"Always the  hunter."

He grinned. "But I hunt well."

"Indeed you do." Samuel replied, putting down his comb and sitting next to Hermes. She leaned her head into his heavily muscled arm and he sighed with relief. 

"You know this might be our last chance to be together."

Samuel nodded. "Don't go."

"I must. Our city will fall without its general."

Samuel looked up into his warm, brown eyes. "Then let it fall."

He cupped Samuel's chin and held it close to his face. "You look even more beautiful when you're being contrary."

He kissed Samuel lightly on the lips and Samuel pulled back.

He gave Samuel a surprised look, then Samuel rose and went back to his grooming. This time he began washing his hands in a small pot of warm water that had charcoals under it, keeping it warm. Hermes had made it for Samuel on their wedding day some months back. He had been so proud of it. Called it a warmer. "Someday, everyone will have something like this." He had boasted.

Samuel had laughed at his vanity, then given him a hug. "You are not only a brave soldier, but a smart man. A thinker."

"No. Not really. Well. Sort of." He concluded with a light agreement on his lips, which always curled slightly when he was being self deprecating.

Samuel  finished cleaning his hands, then dried them with a cloth hanging next to his mirror. He turned and held up his hands. "Now they are worth of being held."

That was all Hermes needed to know. He swept across the room like a vulture seeking its prey and tossed Samuel over his shoulders. He twirled Samuel about the room, yelling like a madman, causing Samuel to scream like a small child in delight, then he tossed her on their bed and dropped on top of him. 

"Now, my beauty, you shall pay the price!"

"And what price is that, dear Hermes?" Samuel demanded coyly.

His lips smashed down against Samuel's mouth, his tongue...

WHAM!

Robin rebounded from Samuel as the flames flickered out and a bright blue light replaced it. Robin flew several feet through the air and landed on his bottom.

Smarn reached for his weapon.

Robin leaped up and stayed his hand. "He didn't mean to harm me!"

Samuel swayed there a long time, his eyes on Robin, his body trembling, then he steadied. 

Jimbo said nothing. He knew what had just happened, if not the details of it. He had seen this happen so many times by now. He put a hand on Nanny, who was giving Samuel a deeply worried look. 

"He's fine."

"Don't look fine."

"Trust me!" Jimbo said.

She punched him.

"Owww. Or not!"

Nanny ran over to Samuel and helped him sit down. "What just happened?"

Robin and Smarn came over and squatted next to him. Jimbo sat next to his friend and watched silently.

"I saw a pastlife with Robin."

Robin's eyes widened. "Was I pretty?"

"No."

Robin looked crushed.

"I was."

Robin laughed.